Everyday Home Solutions We face a whole variety of challenges at home everyday and this page was created to provide solutions which hopefully would help ease them in one way or another.

Here are some cooking tips I picked up during my last 1 and half years of blogging:

​1)How to Reduce the Pungency of Raw Onions?After slicing soak in cold water for 5 mins to reduce the pungency and to make it more mild.

2)How do you avoid Mushrooms becoming all soggy and wet during cooking?When cooking mushrooms, spread them all in a single layer and let them cook. Don't stir. Mushrooms will caramelise. No water will be released to make the dish all soggy and then you hv to drain the water for a dry stir fry.

3)How do you peel garlic without even touching it?I saw this in a FB video. Place a whole bulb of garlic in a small glass bottle. Close the lid tightly and shake it vigorously for a few mins. Open and pour out the peeled garlic and all the skin with it.​ We get a good arm workout at the same time too :)

4)How do you open a tight lid of a glass bottle?We all know about heating the cap or putting a rubber band under it. But another innovative method is to use the TOP of a sharp knife and slide it from below the lid. It will POP right open.

5)How do you keep cauliflowers bright white when cooking?Add a bit of milk to the water and salt.

6)How do you keep your home made stock last longer?Always make stock in large quantities and freeze portions of them in freezer bags. It will last really long and when you want to make soups or any other dish requiring stocks, you just need to pull it out from the freezer.

7)How do you make your mashed potatoes creamier? ​When making mashed potatoes, after you drain the potatoes return them to the hot pan, cover tightly and let steam on low hear for 2 - 3 mins. This allows the potatoes to dry out so they'll mash to a beautiful texture and soak up the butter and cream easily.

8)How do you get richer risotto?When cooking risotto, use a wooden spoon and stir in rhythmic movements that go across the bottom and around the sides of the pan - this will result in richer risotto.

9)How do you juice your lime or lemon easier?We all know we are supposed to roll it hard on your chopping board but you can also microwave it for 10-15secs to get the same result.

​10)How do you make your pasta creamier?Keep 1/3 cup of the you cooked the pasta in. Add it to your pasta to let the sauce amalgate because the starch in the water adds body and kind of creaminess. A tip from Nigella Lawson and makes a whole lot of difference to your pasta!